1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to racks, and in particular to a sectional rack for storing and displaying caps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Caps have long enjoyed popularity as headgear for outdoor sports, work and other activities. The fronts of caps may contain various indicia which identify, for example, the wearer or an athletic team of which he or she is a member or supporter. Furthermore, many companies distribute caps with their logos and company names prominently displayed.
A variety of devices for storing and displaying hats, caps and the like have heretofore been proposed. For example, the Farwell U.S. Pat. No. 621,911 discloses a hat tray for propping against a wall with a plurality of hat-holes each having a foldable rack or bale 10 associated therewith. Hats are inserted into the hat-holes of the Farwell tray and rest on the racks thereof in their folded down positions. The Hutt U.S. Pat. No. 116,706 discloses a wire hat rack with a loop adatped to receive a nail and a wire section forming a rest for the crown of a hat.
The prior art also includes hat racks comprising foldable sections as exemplified by the Pfeil U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,487 and the Jacobson U.S. Pat. No. 2,535,136. However, none of the aforementioned devices is particularly well adapted for the storage and display of caps. For merchandising purposes, it may be desirable to prominently display a number of caps for viewing and selection by customers. To facilitate the display of caps as merchandise, the storage and display device should include as little structure as possible to avoid detracting from or obscuring the caps themselves. Horizontal shelving may be provided for displaying caps and the like, but typically requires mechanical attachment to a wall surface at several locations. Also, shelves spaced closely together for maximum space utlization tend to obstruct the view of objects either directly above or below the individual shelves.
Caps may also be placed on hooks, but each hook must be individually attached to a wall surface. Also, many caps have emblems or logos on their fronts which would not be readily visible with the cap suspended from a hook and the emblem or logo facing downwardly. Thus, conventional alternatives such as shelving and hooks suffer from serious disadvantages for marketing caps and the like and prior art hat holders are not particularly well designed for merchanidising caps. In addition to merchandisers, private individuals who maintain cap collections will also benefit from a device which provides for the prominent display of a number of caps.